Renewing an SPSV licence

SPSV renewal at a glance
Type of Licence Age* Meter sealing Annual Renewal Cost* (where applicable) Late Renewal Cost* (after expiry)
Taxi See age rules below Yes €150 €500
Wheelchair Accessible Taxi See age rules below Yes €75 €500
Hackney See age rules below No €150 €500
Wheelchair Accessible Hackney See age rules below No €75 €500
Limousine None No €150 €500
Local Area Hackney Under 10 years No €150 €500

* Age and Renewal period and costs vary with licence type and previous licence history – see your current vehicle licence certificate for details

Applicant Requirements:

SPSV vehicle licence renewals are granted only to people whose tax affairs are up to date

There are three steps in renewing an SPSV licence:

Step 1 – Licence Expiry
If your vehicle licence expires, you may, within 24 months of its expiry date, apply to have it replaced. It is not possible to replace any vehicle licence that has expired for more than 24 months.

Exception: a local area hackney licence cannot be renewed or replaced after three years from its original first issue date.

Step 2 – Required Documentation
Make sure that you have all the following required documentation before you book the vehicle’s Licence Renewal Assessment:

  • Original certificate of insurance in the name of the prospective licence holder
  • Proof of ownership or legal entitlement to use of the vehicle for a period of not less than 12 months will be required at all Licence Renewal Inspections for all SPSV vehicle licence categories. Consult Guide G2 for further details.
  • NCT certificate issued within 90 days of the date of your inspection appointment

If your vehicle has been modified since its last inspection, you will need to obtain a Technical Assessor’s Basic Report, and bring a copy with you to leave at the Licence Renewal Assessment.

Step 3 – Booking you Assessment
Book your Licence Renewal Assessment by calling 0818 064 000. The appointment may be made only by the licence holder. Security questions will be asked to confirm the caller’s identity.

You can cancel or reschedule an appointment for a Licence Renewal Assessment without charge up to two working days before the appointment. If you cancel or reschedule on the working day immediately before the appointment, a late cancellation fee is charged. You cannot cancel or reschedule a vehicle licensing inspection on the day of the appointment – if you do not present the vehicle for inspection at the appointed time, the entire fee is forfeit.

It is a criminal offence to operate without a current SPSV vehicle licence. A conviction for this offence attracts a penalty of up to €5,000.

Further details on the SPSV licence renewal process can be found in Guide G2.

Age rules

Image shown is a multi-coloured picture text document outlining the maximum age rules for Small Public Service Vehicle’s. The text in the image advises that 15 years is the max permissible age for licences issued before 01.01.2009 or for vehicles licenced on a vehicle licence before 01.01.2013. All other standard taxi and hackney licences have a maximum permissible age of 10 years. For Wheelchair Accessible licences vehicles associated with a licence on 01.04.2014 there is no age limit. All other WAVs have no age limit. There is no age limit for Limousines For local area hackneys the age limit is 10 years. The Entry Requirements for new vehicles by category are under 6 years for a Wheelchair accessible vehicle, less than 10 years for a Local Area Hackney and no maximum age limit for a limousine licence. A standard taxi licence holder may exchange that licence for a wheelchair accessible taxi licence and still have the option to change back to the original standard taxi licence in the future. A standard taxi licence holder seeking to avail of this exchange, must have a wheelchair accessible vehicle that is under 6 years of age. If the licence exchange is completed, that wheelchair accessible vehicle can be operated up to 15 years of age. Image shown is a multi-coloured picture text document outlining the maximum age rules for Small Public Service Vehicle’s. The text in the image advises that 15 years is the max permissible age for licences issued before 01.01.2009 or for vehicles licenced on a vehicle licence before 01.01.2013. All other standard taxi and hackney licences have a maximum permissible age of 10 years. For Wheelchair Accessible licences vehicles associated with a licence on 01.04.2014 there is no age limit. All other WAVs have no age limit. There is no age limit for Limousines For local area hackneys the age limit is 10 years. The Entry Requirements for new vehicles by category are under 6 years for a Wheelchair accessible vehicle, less than 10 years for a Local Area Hackney and no maximum age limit for a limousine licence. A standard taxi licence holder may exchange that licence for a wheelchair accessible taxi licence and still have the option to change back to the original standard taxi licence in the future. A standard taxi licence holder seeking to avail of this exchange, must have a wheelchair accessible vehicle that is under 6 years of age. If the licence exchange is completed, that wheelchair accessible vehicle can be operated up to 15 years of age.